# Formal Survey

What are they?
Formal surveys can be used to collect standardized information from a carefully selected sample of people or households. Surveys often collect comparable information for a relatively large number of people in particular target groups.
What can we use them for?

• Providing baseline data against which the performance of the strategy, program, or

project can be compared.

• Comparing different groups at a given point in time.
• Comparing changes over time in the same group.
• Comparing actual conditions with the targets established in a program or project design.
• Describing conditions in a particular community or group.
• Providing a key input to a formal evaluation of the impact of a program or project.
• Assessing levels of poverty as basis for preparation of poverty reduction strategies.

• Findings from the sample of people interviewed can be applied to the wider target

group or the population as a whole.

• Quantitative estimates can be made for the size and distribution of impacts.

• With the exception of CWIQ, results are often not available for a long period of

time.

• The processing and analysis of data can be a major bottleneck for the larger surveys

even where computers are available.

• LSMS and household surveys are expensive and time-consuming.
• Many kinds of information are difficult to obtain through formal interviews.

COST:
Ranges from roughly $30–60 per household for the CWIQ to$170 per household for the LSMS. Costs will be significantly higher if there is no master sampling frame for the country.
SKILLS REQUIRED:
Sound technical and analytical skills for sample and questionnaire design, data analysis, and processing.